Lifestyle

Turf laying in North Canberra

I am finally preparing to move into our brand new house in the Gungahlin area. One of the things I want to tackle straight away after I move in is the backyard. I have a dog and I want grass in there asap. Because of a combination of having to organise the move, not being able to take time off from work at that time of the year and a dodgy back, I want to outsource the whole soil preparation and turf laying process.

So, recommendations? Do you know anyone who can manage the whole process (and doesn’t charge excessively of course)? Or will I be better off organising the delivery of the soil and the turf and then just find any old landscaper to prepare the soil and lay the turf? The negative will be that there is not much space between the house and the side fence. Barely enough for a wheelbarrow. The positive is that it is tiny though. Less than 50m2.

I have to say that I hate couch with a passion. Even though I successfully manage to grow veggies in my own Jackie French wilderness style way, I am not much of a gardener so I’d rather put up with the occasional bare patch than with having to tame the grass before it takes over the world. Also, I don’t like the idea of it dying off in winter.

In a way it’s also just a temporary measure until I’ve decided what to do with the backyard after we’ve lived there for a little while. We may end up keeping very little lawn, if it’s up to me. But I don’t want to feel rushed and don’t want to have bare soil for any longer than I strictly need to.

The landscaper I talked to did immediately say “very poor soil” when he heard that it was in Casey. So he at least is aware of the need to add plenty of top soil. But the ‘no access for the dingo’ may be a bit of a sore point there. The space between the house and the fence will be 8cm too narrow to allow access! So next I’ll try talk the builder into letting him do the soil prep before the fences are put in, but I don’t hold out much hope.

Don’t get a turf blend with any couch or creeping grass in it if you ever plan to have a garden bed of any sort.

Should point out that Sir Walter is Buffalo and Conquest is Couch, both running grasses. Very drought tolerant though and Sir Walter is surprisingly soft. Just have to check and chop with a spade or round thing with spikes on a regular basis so it doesn’t go into the garden beds.

Have to agree with a few other posters that you may have to wait a few months now as the soil will be too cold. We laid our Canberra Blend about 4 weeks ago which felt like a race against time, though the extra week or 2 of bonus warmth made us smile.

It’s all in the prep, so regardless of how much or little you spend, make sure you get someone to prepare the soil properly for you, and don’t forget the weed killer before laying out the green carpet!

Regardless of where you purchase your turf- have a read of Canturf’s maintenance/ how to page which is full of no-nonsense tips.

So far the lawn is looking luscious, but then again it does it get watered and plucked every day at the moment by a green thumb (not me).

A) what grass are you laying. If you have pets that are running around, then get a warm weather grass. Either sir Walter from canturf or Conquest from McMahons Lawns. While they go brown over winter, they are a creeper and will repair themselves where your beloved pets have damaged the lawn. While the cold blends stay green over winter, you need to re-seed damaged areas (friends with 2 dogs are sick of doing it).

B) when to lay – not now. The frost will kill the grass while it is trying to establish. Mcmahons told me you need to lay summer grasses 4 weeks before the first frost. The Canberra cold blends can be later, but I wouldn’t risk it with the frosts coming weekly now.

C) prep – if ur soil is anywhere near as bad as ours and the builders chucked all their fill in, make sure you get a full 10-15cm of good sandy soil under it. It’s back breaking work getting all that soil into the back, but worth it long term (I moved 8 cubic meters). Also check your weep hold height and drainage as the extra soil may be an issue.

One of my friends had her front yard turfed by a guy she found on here. 30 sq m. Mow and behold. No trouble and looks great 6 months on

Do you mind sharing the details of this person? I am looking to returf too.

Watson – I have been told by a couple of landscapers and Canturf that August is the earliest to get lawn laid as it is warmer which allows the lawn to establish better. When I spoke to Canturf they said they also lay the turf for a fee (I think it was $3/m2 ish) but they won’t prepare the ground before hand ie add top soil etc.

Would be quite a bit more expensive if you go through Canturf compared to a landscaper as you cannot get the turf at wholesale prices like they do, I realised. Same with soil, I assume.

One of my friends had her front yard turfed by a guy she found on here. 30 sq m. Mow and behold. No trouble and looks great 6 months on

Do you mind sharing the details of this person? I am looking to returf too.

Watson – I have been told by a couple of landscapers and Canturf that August is the earliest to get lawn laid as it is warmer which allows the lawn to establish better. When I spoke to Canturf they said they also lay the turf for a fee (I think it was $3/m2 ish) but they won’t prepare the ground before hand ie add top soil etc.

But he told me that you cannot lay turf from now until the end of July. Bugger!

Don’t know why that is? You want it cool and damp, a little frost won’t hurt it but frozen ground in July might.

The ground never really freezes here though, does it? Not more than a cm or so for a few hours occasionaly anyway, I would’ve thought.

I know nothing about lawn or turf, so I just took the landscaper’s word for it. He says he has a couple of jobs to finish and then waits until the end of July. He sounded good though. Offered to come look at the yard once the retaining walls are done.